


Improving Inter-Realm Relations

by AmunetMana



Series: Inter-Realm Relations and Negotiations [1]
Category: Norse Mythology, Thor (Movies)
Genre: AU where Loki was raised on Jotunheim, Also he's a flirt, Alternate Universe, Big mix up of marvel and mythology, F/M, Humour, M/M, Multi, liberties taken with Jotun culture, loki needs to be kept on a leash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-04
Updated: 2013-09-28
Packaged: 2017-12-13 22:50:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/829771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmunetMana/pseuds/AmunetMana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After centuries of tension and isolation, the frozen world of Jotunheim opens itself to the Nine Realms, engaging in peace talks with Asgard. Sigyn is chosen as Ambassador, despite reservations and fears of just what she'll discover. The Jotuns will prove however to be full of surprises, least of all the diminutive and elusive third prince.</p><p>Also known as: in which I write a story about a series of peace talks and then never actually mention what they discuss. Because with Loki around, there are always far more interesting matters at hand.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. An Unusual Meeting

**Author's Note:**

  * For [heathergreyfeather](https://archiveofourown.org/users/heathergreyfeather/gifts).



> Because I can enjoy het as well as slash. XD
> 
> A gift to tumblr-user Hetherlynne, it's her Sigyn she was kind enough to let me borrow. Angrboda is mine once again, as she is in "Mother of Monsters". 
> 
> This is an AU where Loki was raised in Jotunheim. And caused just as much chaos for them, if not more, than he did his parents in Asgard.

Had she been given the choice, Sigyn was not sure she would have done this. No, that wasn't quite right...she had been asked, at least. She couldn't say she'd had no say in the matter. It wasn't like she'd been kidnapped from her rooms, shoved into a cloak and shot from the bifrost without warning, to land in a pile on Jotunheim. No, she hadn't been forced. But at the same time...cold, shivering, despite the thick clothes and furred cloak she was cocooned in, she could not see how she could have agreed to come here if she was entirely in her right mind.

Come to Jotunheim, home of cold, dark, and a near-permanent smattering of snowflakes that caught in her hair and on her face, making her nose turn red and full of sniffles. She huddled down more in her cloak, pulling the fur-lined object tighter around her. She was currently making her way down a rocky path from the bifrost site, heading towards the gates to the great citadel she could already make out in the distance, despite the snowfall. It looked huge and imposing; understandable of course, this was a Realm that housed creatures over twice her size, twice the size of any full-grown male Aesir, even. But it had its own kind of beauty to it, glistening brightly where rays of light fell though the clouds, lighting up the scintillated spires.

The sudden bright effect was so beautiful; Sigyn paused to look up at it, dazzled. So dazzled, she didn't notice the figure barrelling towards her until it was too late. The next thing she was aware of was the sudden thud of body against body, the worrying cracking sound as she slipped back and hit the ground beneath her, then suddenly, totally, freezing cold. She let out a gasp, the air fogging above her, the white effect hovering between her face and the blue one above her. She froze in a completely different way, staring up in shock. The face had the lines common to Jotun features, curving across his forehead and along his cheekbones, accentuating the shapes of his face. Red eyes gazed down at Sigyn first with surprise, then with curiosity and amusement.

"Well well," came a smooth voice, "what's a pale thing like you doing here?"

Sigyn's mouth opened to form a response, or perhaps to form a question, when there was a yell, and the Jotun's head snapped up, looking over his shoulder, before he smiled down at Sigyn. "I'd love to keep chatting, but I have an appointment I'm anxious to miss," he grinned, before jumping up and disappearing into the distance. Sigyn lay stunned for a moment, before she pulled herself to her feet, brushing off the snow and trying to regain what heat she could. The mysterious Jotun continued to plague her thoughts until she reached the Citadel, and it was only when she was greeted at the gates by two guards that she suddenly realised what had been bothering her quite so much. The Jotun had only been her size, something she hadn't even known to be possible for Jotun. Perhaps it was magic? She wondered if she should mention it, but decided not to. Best just to get on with the meetings and go.

That was, after all, her purpose on this freezing world. The first attempt in centuries between their realms to sit down and bargain for peace, not just in name but also in actuality. There was no official war taking place, she would not have been sent to Jotunheim alone if that were the case. But there was a constant state of unrest, of fear that whispers and conspiracy theories might erupt into genuine war. They had come close, a long time ago before Sigyn's birth. Jotunheim had shown signs of invading Midgard, an act that would have irrevocably brought Asgard to war with them in defence of the mortals there. But Jotunheim, perhaps realising this and not wishing to take on a far greater enemy than the Midgardians, had not invaded, and had instead withdrawn to their realm, secretive and isolated.

Until now.

So Sigyn found herself entering the Palace, surprisingly full of light despite the dark atmosphere. Prepared to engage in diplomatic talks with the Jotun King Laufey, to make arrangements for trade, and communications. Sigyn was prepared. At least, she thought she was until rather than an organised hall and monarchs on the thrones to greet her, she was instead greeted with a picture of insanity as huge giants ran back and forth across the wide hallway, in and out of the corridors that branched off of it, yelling to each other. It was almost comical, if it wasn't so surprising.

It was certainly not what she had expected to see in Jotunheim.

The guards who had brought her in quickly pulled one of the flustered gains to the side, speaking to him quietly. The giant turned to look at Sigyn and she offered a tentative smile. The Jotun didn't smile back, but his distracted air stopped it from being an unfriendly gesture. It did leave Sigyn confused about just what had them so worried, however. The Jotun disappeared down a corridor, and the guard came back to stand beside Sigyn. She wanted to ask what was going on, but at the same time didn't want to cause any disruptions. She was quickly reassured, however, as a figure entered that she finally recognised, if only from stories. King Laufey strode into the room. He was tall and upright, dressed in a heavily decorated loincloth and swirling wrist guards and sandals. A cape did flutter between his shoulders, to Sigyn's surprise, but it was draped in a kind of arc across his back, not long and flowing to the ground like the king and princes of Asgard wore theirs. A simple, curving crown was set on his head, and almost seemed to be part of his armour.

"Greetings, ambassador of Asgard," was his welcome, and he did offer a stiff smile to Sigyn. "I apologise deeply for the state of the palace, my-" he took a moment to visibly relax himself, a funny mix of exasperation, anger and worry passing across his face, an expression only a parent could make Sigyn thought, "son has decided to go wandering. Again. And as usual he is proving somewhat difficult to find." He looked at Sigyn again, and his brow rose. "Speaking of children, why have they sent you for negotiations?"

Sigyn stared back, somewhat affronted, "Is there a reason why I shouldn't have been sent?" She asked, tone a little sharp. Was he trying to imply that she should be having children instead of going on diplomatic missions? Or that she was herself a child? No, surely they were well aware of the size difference...Thinking about it, she had seen no female Jotun since she had arrived. She knew Asgard's standards for gender equality were not brilliant, the Lady Sif was a miracle unto herself with what she had accomplished in becoming a warrior. And even in her case she seemed to have had to halfway sacrifice her femininity. But the Jotuns appeared to prejudice against their females to the point where they...what, hide their women away? Viewed them as child bearers and nothing more? How did they even function in such a society?

Laufey was frowning, and Sigyn suddenly felt doubtful, wondering if she'd understood. "I just...assumed from your figure..." Laufey began, making a gesture with his hands that seemed to indicate her curves, "do you not have a child to care for?"

Ok. Sigyn was officially lost. "Are you...referring to my chest?" She asked finally, trying to be as direct and cool as possible, resisting the urge to rub her forehead in confusion. "Or my hips?"

Laufey nodded, "yes, of course. It's only natural for them to develop like so upon giving birth is it not?" His tone indicated he thought they were finally getting somewhere. Which they might have been at last, as Sigyn's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. No female Jotun. Curves that appear when you give birth.  
...She really didn't want to have this conversation, she realised abruptly.

"King Laufey, are there female Jotun?" She asked delicately, finding herself unsure about just where to cast her gaze. She wasn't sure if she could stop herself from going red if she met Laufey's eyes. If she had been able to look, she would have seen his forehead creasing in confusion, as he exchanged a glance with the guards that flanked her, looking for recognition.

"It is not a word we have a use for in Jotunheim," he said slowly, the words forming an explanation as he too realised the confusion. "Indeed it does not exist in our language. We do not have female or...male, here," he explained, evidently having to think for a moment to remember the counterpart term. "There is only Jotun. In terms of children, anyone can sire or give birth to a child. Features that you possess," a rough shaped sketch appeared in the air again, "only occur after one has given birth. Or permanently, in some exceedingly rare cases." This was added like an afterthought. There was a pause. "It is not like this on Asgard." He didn't say it like a question, but a statement. Sigyn shook her head, and Laufey let out a small sigh. "It seems that the absence of knowledge and understanding between our realms is even more fundamentally lacking than we thought." He stepped to the side, and indicated one of the corridors. "If you would come this way, we will begin the discussions in a more suitable setting."

Sigyn bowed her head, passing him quickly. "Keep searching for him," she heard him say behind her, and she looked back curiously. Just why were they searching so frantically for the missing prince, she wondered.

~

The meeting was not going well. The room was light and airy, and the round table they all sat around gave a nice sense of unity and equal footing, but there was a constant air of distraction. Laufey's surprisingly beautiful consort Fárbauti had joined them, along with their two present and accounted-for sons. Fárbauti really was a strange kind of stunning, with long black hair that fell dead-straight over his shoulders, and have been inter-woven with strands of coloured thread and silver bands which matched those at his wrists and neck. It was a huge contrast to the much more pragmatic outfitting of the King. Fárbauti contributed just as much as Laufey to the discussions, and Sigyn was starting to get a feel for the different balance of power present in Jotunheim. The sons, Helblindi and Býleistr as they'd been introduced, did not contribute to the discussions at all but instead simply observed, Helblindi watching the goings on like a hawk, Býleistr a little more relaxed about the whole business, fiddling with a plait that had fallen over his shoulder. The empty seat that was beside them however, next to Sigyn, acted like a black hole in the room, drawing all attention to it the second there was a lapse in conversation, which seemed to be often.

Laufey was the worst, constantly looking towards the exit whenever someone passed, searching as far as his gaze would allow him for any sign of his son or news of him. Fárbauti seemed to realise they were getting nowhere, and smiled apologetically at Sigyn,

“I’m sorry for our conduct. Our son has a...difficult temperament, and he insists on running amok. It’s troubling at the best of times. I do hope you’ll allow us to adjourn the meeting until he is located?”

Sigyn was only too happy to agree. They had been getting nowhere slowly, and she was happy enough to take some time for herself to simply absorb the information she was receiving from her surroundings. Asgard had so many wrong ideas about Jotunheim, its people and their ways, that much she could tell just from the monarchs and their sons, and from the Palace. As soon as she returned she decided she must appeal to Odin to arrange a similar trip back for the Jotuns, to allow them the same experience. She shook her head slightly, didn’t these people realise just how much change a little thing like experience could bring?

As they were leaving the meeting room, Fárbauti offered to take Sigyn to the gardens for her to stroll in. Sigyn agreed with a sinking feeling in her heart; she couldn’t say no to what was effectively the Queen of Jotunheim. So she found herself once again out in the cold air, although the snow had finally subsided, which was a mercy. Fárbauti left her to her own devices in order to aid the search, which was fine with Sigyn. She wandered through the gardens, marvelling at the sheer size of the flowers and plants, many of them trailing and vine-like, climbing up stone and ice pillars, which were intermixed with the plants. The plants were fascinating, and so different to what she was used to. One had velvety blue petals and seemed to warm her fingers when she touched one experimentally, others looking like they’d been sculpted from glass. Lily-like petals bloomed outwards, delicate and near translucent.

Eventually Sigyn came across a bench, which she managed to climb onto without too much difficulty. With surprising ease, in fact. More ease than she would have expected. It was situated beneath what looked like a miles high tree, with many branches stretch out from low down all the way to the top. They formed a strange spiralling pattern, almost akin to a spiral staircase. Sigyn admired it for a moment, before turning her back to it, staring out across the garden, comfortably huddled in her furs. But suddenly, her observations were interrupted by a familiar voice,

"Fancy meeting you again here," came the sudden words, and Sigyn's head snapped around to face its source. She found her head craning up, looking into the branches of the tree once again, only now they had an occupant. In a low branch sat a Jotun, small for his kind, with familiar markings and an easy grin on his face.

“You!” Sigyn accused, pointing up at him in surprise. His grin widened, and he slipped off the branch, dropping down to another far closer to her, allowing his legs to swing over the edge where he sat.

“Me,” he agreed amiably.

"Why do you have hair?" Was the first question out of Signs mouth, after the short silence that followed. Well. There were worse ways to start a conversation. The Jotun looked amused, thankfully. His fingers came up to fiddle with it, the long tangles fell far past his shoulders, the bangs framing his face had been tied into loops at the tips with red thread, an unexpected burst of colour in the predominantly blue and grey landscape. They drew the attention of Sigyn's eyes like magpies to gold. "That is...you're not the only Jotun I've seen with hair, but all the tallest I've seen are bald." Including King Laufey. But Fárbauti had hair too. And their sons.

"All Jotuns are born with hair," he told her, "it's the warriors who shave their heads, to stop it getting in their way. Did you think it has something to do with me being small?" his legs were swinging back and forth below the branch. They were exposed to the cold air and snow, only the thin strip of fabric that made up part of his loincloth keeping him decent and providing any kind of coverage. He didn't even have the sandals or wrist guards she'd become used to seeing. "I suppose you could argue it's more likely you'll see a runt with hair because we'll certainly never have the opportunity to be part of the Palace Guard." He speculated, although his tone was dismissive and disinterested.

"About that," Sigyn begun, shifting so her body was angle towards him, and she didn't have to twist her neck uncomfortably to face him. "I also wondered, why are you so small? And you said there were others your size?" She'd never seen any. But then again she'd also thought she'd never seen any female Jotun and she knew how well that had turned out. Thankfully very little seemed able to offend the small Jotun (still considerably taller than her), and he just smiled, almost indulgent regarding g her questions, some of which she had expected to be rude. Maybe it was the look on his face that was motivating her to keep questioning.

"It just happens sometimes. There are more of us than you'd think." He shrugged, "you just don't often get to see us because overprotectiveness kicks into overdrive whenever one of us turns up in a family. They're worried they'll break us or something." His eyes, rolled back, he'd clearly experienced plenty of the aforementioned overprotectiveness in his life, and didn't think too much of it. “Or we’ll get ourselves broken if we wander off into the big wide realm without as escort.”

Definitely speaking from experience, Sigyn decided. That was probably the reason he’d chosen a well-concealed branch. It was only her fortunate angle that allowed her to get a good look at him.

“Is it dangerous even for Jotuns here?” she asked, gazing around. In the garden it was harder to believe that, but outside the citadel walls the landscape certainly screamed danger. And the tales she’d heard of the beasts that lived in Jotunheim were not much better. Her body gave a sudden sharp shiver, and she cursed quietly, pulling her cloak tighter.

The Jotun peered at her. “...Why? Are you scared of the danger?” he asked, quietly. “You don’t look too happy. Do you not want to be here?” he questioned.

"It's very cold here," Sigyn said absently, dodging around the question, her eyes averted. The Jotun didn't miss it, his eyes narrowing with an unimpressed stare.

"A real answer please?"

"...It doesn't matter whether I want to or not," she told him in the end, discovering her own feelings as she spoke. "I made a promise to try and improve relations with Jotunheim, and that requires me to be here. My personal feelings have nothing to do with it, it's my duty to try my best."

And there it was, she realised suddenly. The line between comfort and free choice. It didn't matter that she was not desperately pleased to be in Jotunheim, she was there because she recognised what was important, and could be trusted to keep everyone's best interests at heart. She would not allow herself to be walked over, but neither would she be cruel or uncompromising, not to anyone. A smile spread over her lips, cheeks turning pink from a sensation other than the cold. The Jotun runt was still staring at her, curious. His fingers rose to press against his own cheek, as he looked on at the colour that had bloomed so attractively in her own. How interesting.

"You're suddenly looking very happy," he commented mildly, "even if you say it's duty, that still doesn't change the fact you don't want to be here, does it?"

"It does," Sigyn responded firmly. "My duty to the realm is more important than my personal comfort. And in the end, I know what will give me more satisfaction. Doing the thing I know to be right, really." She grinned at him, warm and confident, and he blinked, feeling the strange palpitation in his chest. Suddenly they were both distracted by a sudden call of

"Ambassador!"

Sigyn turned to face the voice addressing her, and was surprised to see what was unmistakably a woman heading towards her. A small woman at that. She looked back up to the male runt she had been conversing with, meaning to try and visually compare the two, but found that he had somehow vanished in the space of a few moments.

"Ambassador?" Came the repeated question, and Sigyn realised the woman had reached her, and was staring up from the ground at her. "The midday meal is about to begin," she explained, "I imagine you must be hungry?" Her voice had a dry tone to it, as though everything she was saying was an obvious joke you were failing to see the punch line to.

"Oh! Yes, thank you," Sigyn slid down from the bench, smiling at the woman before they began walking back to the palace. She received a surprised look in return, followed by a tentative smile in return. It still looked like she was finding something amusing and in the next millisecond ceasing to care. It was a strange expression.

"The King and Consort thought you might appreciate someone of my stature to attend to you during your stay." The woman told her as they walked, "My name is Angrboda. I normally assist the youngest prince but he is," her lip curled, and there was a sudden shift to annoy and and exasperation, "once again away without leave. So I am free to assist you as you wish me to."

"The prince...does he often do this?" Sigyn asked.

Angrboda's eyes rolled, and she looked like she had a million and one things she could say about the prince, and Sigyn had a sneaking suspicion not many of them were flattering. She'd only heard him spoken of in dribs and drabs, and was becoming somewhat impatient to know more.

"Yes," Angrboda deadpanned, voice flat. "With...alarming...frequency." It also sounded like there was a whole range of alternate words she'd prefer to use in place of 'alarming'.

Sigyn wanted to change the subject. She doubted she was going to get more information about the prince, and she was also curious about her new companion. "Angrboda," she began, testing out the name on her tongue, "I'm...a little confused. Are you..." She turned red, "are you female?"

Angrboda seemed to pause for a moment, before moving on smoothly without a hitch. Sigyn watched red eyes dart across to her, surreptitiously scanning the curves of her figure. Blue lips curved, just as they had before. "I assume female is what you are?" She asked. "Most Jotuns would assume I were a new mother, if not for my size."

"What do they assume, knowing you size?" Sigyn asked.

The grin showed teeth now, but it didn't reach her eyes. "That I am simply deformed." Angrboda shrugged. "Deformed and strange. It is of no concern to me. I prefer to be left alone anyway. It does not matter what they call me."

Sigyn wanted to protest very loudly that it did matter, but by that time they had reached the palace, and Sigyn followed Angrboda down a series of twisting paths to come out at a large hall, not unlike that on Asgard. Sigyn was quickly led to a seat close to the royal family, and they began to eat. Sigyn was faced down with a selection of meats and fish, occasionally interspersed with greenery, some of the leafy Sigyn recognised from her time in the garden. She didn't know how appetising she considered it. But everyone else was eating, and so she followed by example, praying she would like it, or at least find in tolerable. In the end she found it wasn't terrible, but she was definitely eating something cooked as soon as she returned home.

Lunch passed uneventfully, until a servant came in, bedding down to speak in Laufey's ear. Sigyn kept her attention on her food, trying not to appear nosy, but couldn't hope but glance at Laufey's expression. He had suddenly smiled at whatever the servant had told him, relief obvious on his face. He said something back to the servant, who left with a bow. Laufey then exchanged a few words with his elegant consort, before turning to Sigyn.

"It seems for once, our son has made his way back by himself," Laufey informed her. "The meetings will resume after lunch with him in attendance."

She was finally to meet him! Sigyn couldn't wait for lunch to be finished, and not only because she wasn't sure how much more of the food she could stomach. She had already tried the wine and found it overpoweringly strong and almost bitter. There had been icy water in the meetings that morning, and she hoped it would be there again for the afternoon meetings.

She was the first back to the room, along with Laufey's other sons. Laufey himself had gone to fetch the troublesome son, apparently not trusting him to come on his own even after he'd come home by himself. Finally they arrived, and Sigyn rose from her seat to meet them. Laufey entered the room, propelling a small figure before him, and Sigyn suddenly realised just why everyone had been so panicked about him being missing. It was another diminutive Jotun, with dark hair falling down his back, woven with gold beads and gemstones, not dissimilar to the consort's hair. Sigyn suddenly felt underdressed compared to the complicated ensemble of fabric and armour the son wore. The rest of the royal family wore similar, but none of them looked quite so swamped in the fabric. Red eyes met brown, and she was struck by something else, her eyes narrowing faintly in thought.

"This," Laufey announced, missing the exchange of gazes as his hand came to rest gently on his son’s shoulder, engulfing it far more than the fabric did, "is my third son, my youngest, Prince Loki. Loki, this is the ambassador, Sigyn." Loki turned his gaze onto her, tilting his head slightly as he did so and causing the gold to jangle in it. He smiled faintly at her in greeting, and seemed to be waiting for something.

Something was bugging Sigyn about Loki, she decided definitely as she peered at the figure before her. It was the third runt she had met in a day, although once again he was taller than her still, but far below his peers. And there was...something...she was still staring closely, trying to look past the layers of silk, armour and gold to know what it was she was looking for. And then she noticed the corner of Loki's lips twitching, as though he was trying to contain huge amusement. Then suddenly it hit her. He wasn't the third Jotun runt she'd seen that day. Only one of two, and he certainly wasn’t Angrboda.

"You!" She exclaimed, pointing at him in shock. His grin widened in response, satisfaction in his bright gaze.

"Me," he agreed.


	2. A Midnight Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sigyn looks for answers to her questions, Loki persists in being difficult and mysterious.

Chapter 2

 

Sigyn wasn’t sure how to process the fact that the scraggly-haired, near-naked Jotun she’d conversed with in the garden was the missing prince. In retrospect, she didn’t feel so bad about not recognising him. He had after all undergone significant change since she had last seen him. The loops had been taken out of his hair, and he had obviously been forced to become acquainted with the function of a hairbrush before the dark waves had been dressed with so many precious stones. Looking at him, he was the very picture of obedience now, still with that slight smile on his face and hands folded in his lap, arms lost beneath the fabric of the voluptuous robe. Up close Sigyn could see it covered with trailing patterns of delicate embroidery, and wondered who in the realm had managed to do such tiny details, especially for them. Another runt? Or perhaps it was imported from another realm?

There were similar markings engraved into the golden armour he wore, and it gave the whole ensemble and its wearer a very delicate feel, despite the warrior edge to its design. Sigyn’s wasn’t sure exactly how Loki would feel about being called delicate, however. He was clearly robust enough to go wandering in the wilderness of his kingdom for extended periods of time without even his shoes on.

That brought up another question, one Sigyn dearly wanted answered. What she still didn’t understand was why. He had clearly been evading capture perfectly well when they had met both times that morning, outside the citadel and then hidden up in his tree. Why had he chosen to come back? As she was pondering these thoughts, however, he stomach took the opportunity to make a growling noise that had her flushing to her hair, curling her arms around her middle. Luckily Laufey didn’t appear to notice, and continued to speak. Loki did notice, however, and his grin became strained as he bit back his laughter.

His hands shifted below the table, and Sigyn strained to get a look at what he was doing without revealing her shift in attention to the others. Fárbauti clearing his throat instantly drew her attention back to the subject at hand, her heart hammering. Glancing at the consort, she found she couldn’t precisely tell whether Fárbauti had seen what they were doing or if it was a coincidence. The consort’s gaze was so innocently averted, slightly inclined towards his husband that Sigyn found herself decidedly suspicious. She did take the (potential) reminder to heart however. The talks had been going much more smoothly now Loki was where he should be (and suddenly Laufey’s panic, combined with Loki’s complaints of overprotectiveness and escorts made sense) and she had a duty to pay attention.

Her focus returned, she jumped when she suddenly felt something being pressed against her hand. She glanced down to see, to her great surprise, a cannoli being held delicately by blue fingers. Loki’s face was perfectly smooth, just the right amount of focus and interest that made it look like he was thinking of nothing but his father’s words.

Sigyn looked at him, speechless even if she’d been able to speak, and hesitantly took the cannoli from his grip. It was her favourite kind. But Loki couldn’t have known that. Could he? Quietly picking her moment to slip it into her mouth, and finding (to her intense suspicion and Loki’s familiar twitch of the lips) she was able to eat it with no noise, swallowing under the guise of taking a sip of her water. Loki may be able to make himself look guileless and focused, but Sigyn was beginning to think there was a hundred and one things circling his mind at all times.

…

He couldn’t have _known_ they were her favourite. It must have been a coincidence.

The meetings once again drew to a close, but this time a far more natural and content finish, nothing like the abrupt end to the morning meeting. Sigyn had an intense feeling of satisfaction from all they had been able to accomplish, but her mind was still buzzing. Now without the meeting to focus on, all her questions about Loki were bubbling to the surface, and it was all she could do to wait for his family to leave the room first.

Loki seemed to be aware of her desires, and hung back with her, until they were the last left behind. They followed out after his brothers, Laufey glancing back, apparently to check Loki was still following, but there was enough of a gap for them to converse privately.

“Well?” Loki spoke first, leaning towards her conspiratorially.

“Well what?” she returned, keeping cool about it. Loki just laughed under his breath,

“You’ve been staring at me all meeting. And even when you weren’t staring I could feel you thinking about me.” he said matter-of-factly. Sigyn frowned,

“That’s a little presumptuous, isn’t it?” she complained, despite the fact that what he was saying was accurate. “To just assume that I was thinking about you all meeting. Maybe I was just surprised to see you turn up at all.” he curiosity was bubbling and after a second she could help herself, her head turned to stare at him seriously, “why _did_ you come to the meeting?” she asked, “You’d already escaped, and they clearly weren’t having any luck locating you. Why did you come back?” _willingly_ , was the word she didn’t mention, although it was obviously implicit in her words.

The smile dropped from Loki’s face, leaving him staring pensively into the distance. He quickly shook himself out of this brief trance, smiling at her again. Sigyn had a feeling he smiled a lot.

“Maybe I simply took your words to heart,” he told her, before quickening his pace to leave her behind, tugging at the robes of his brother to strike up a conversation with them over some small matter. Sigyn was left to ponder his words, and try to recall just what it was she’d said in the garden.

_"My personal feelings have nothing to do with it, it's my duty"_

_"Doing the thing I know to be right, really."_

Sigyn was stunned. Was that really what he'd been referring to? Why had the prince of Jotunheim, clearly infamous for doing only as he wished and not what anyone else wished, paid heed to the words of a foreign ambassador? The idea caused a strange fluttering feeling in her chest, and she pressed a hand over it, her eyes fixing on Loki as he walked with his brothers, laughing with them and tugging along at Býleistr’s clothes.

They reached an intersect in the corridor, at which Angrboda appeared to meet them, expression neutral until she spotted Loki grinning at her antagonistically, at which point she abruptly scowled at him.

"You wanted me to take the Ambassador to her chambers," she announced once she’d broken gazes with the Prince, turning her eyes to Laufey and Fárbauti. She phrased it like a statement rather than a question. Laufey nodded in wordless response, indicating with a sweeping gesture for Sigyn to slip past them. She did so gratefully, nodding her head towards him in thanks.  
"We hope you sleep well, Ambassador," Laufey intoned, smiling slightly at her. Sigyn ducked a bow towards him.

"Thank you kindly, your highness," she said, "may tomorrow's talks be as successful as today's." she smiled and Laufey let out a relaxed laugh, also inclining his head.

"Yes. So long as all keep themselves present and correct as they should," a glance to Loki who looked the picture of angelic innocence, "I am certain the talks will proceed with great success."

With that he and his consort disappeared down the corridors followed by their sons. Loki gave her a wink and a wiggling wave of his fingers before they disappeared around the corner. Angrboda let out a frustrated groan when they were out of earshot. Sigyn was a little startled by the sound, but didn't say anything. Angrboda eventually calmed herself, and began to lead Sigyn down the corridors.

"I apologise for my conduct," she said, and her tone was a little wooden, "but _Prince_ Loki," and didn't she just spit out his title? "Has...and always has had...a rather impressive ability to get on my nerves." She smiled tightly. "Even after so many years he's still managing."

"...You're very close then?" Sigyn asked, not know quite what else to say. Angrboda was not what she would call talkative, but she certainly spoke more and interacted with Sigyn far more than servants usually did. In Asgard and Vanaheim they tended to go about their work swiftly and silently. Angrboda not only interacted with her, she interacted with the royal family with a more relaxed attitude that Sigyn would have expected. Then she recalled what Angrboda had said about her normal job being to assist Loki. She had only had a taste of Loki's personality, but could already tell how insistent he could be. Maybe that had some kind of impact.

Angrboda snorted at Sigyn's choice of words, shrugging slightly. "Close is one way to put it," she said, and paused as the two of them reached a door, and she pushed it open, giving a ducking bow to indicate for Sigyn to enter first. It was a large chamber, with two small corridors branching off from it. Against the back wall, huge and almost cradled in ice crystals that emerged from the floor, was the bed. Sigyn approached it slowly, admiring the way the ice curled around it, encompassing the bedding in a protective fashion. The bedding itself was luxurious, with many huge thick pelts that could only have come from the giant beasts of Jotunheim piled high upon it. There was far less fabric bedding than furred, making Sigyn believe it was more likely that the Jotuns must import their cloth from another realm. Reaching out to touch the furs, she faltered slightly, her smile at the sight of the room drooping slightly. It was all still freezing cold.

Angrboda cleared her throat, and Sigyn looked around to see the Jotun looking t her, eyebrow raised. "Is the room to your liking?" She asked, and there was that nagging curve to her lip that made Sigyn think Angrboda probably already knew the answer and was asking purely for the amusement Sigyn's response would bring her. Something in the movement reminded Sigyn of Loki, and she was amused at the thought of how Angrboda might react to that particular comparison.

"It's wonderful," was all she said, not wishing to complain and not knowing what they could do to solve the problem in any case. Fire would only melt the ice. Besides, Sigyn was sure she would be warmer once she was between the furs. Even if, privately, she decided she might keep her cloak on whilst she slept. "I've never slept in a bed so big before," she continued, and Angrboda looked more openly amused now.

"I'd hope so, considering it was made to comfortably fit a Jotun," she grinned wryly. "I'm here to assist you if there's anything else you need. If not, I'll be going to assist the prince."

"Assist Loki?" Sigyn blurted out without thinking, and ducked her head down, "I mean, you said before it was your job to, umm, assist him, right?" She recovered. "Because the two of you are of a similar height?"

"That's pretty much it." Angrboda confirmed, moving further into the room and hoisting herself up to perch on a (for a jotun) low table. "I came to the palace when I was very young. Before I'd even developed..." She indicated her chest shamelessly. "They still didn't know how I was going to turn out. But I was chosen to accompany Loki, yes, because we are of a matching size. The King didn't wish for his child to grow up being the only of his kind. I provided a sense of familiarity and, more importantly, similarity for him."

"Ever since you were a child? What about your parents?" Sigyn asked, feeling a little sad upon hearing the story, and noticing the suddenly dropped title.

"My parents were glad to get rid of me. It's a hassle looking after one like me when you're not royalty you know. Not everyone can adapt their homes so that they are functional for both full sized and small Jotun. If they'd found out about my deformities I'm sure they'd be even more glad to see the back of me. Loki is...well, no matter how much he annoys me, he and the palace are all I've known for most of my life. There's certainly nothing secret left between us at this point. It helped that growing up with me, he didn't react badly to the way I look." A strange look crossed her face, "...you might say he took a bit too well to my more...unusual features, actually." She looked vaguely put out, and something in her cheeks was stirring a darker blue.

Sigyn wasn't sure exactly what Angrboda meant for a moment, before it suddenly hit her. "You mean- you don't mean you and Loki have..." Sigyn begun, eyes wide, and Angrboda pulled a face like she'd sucked on a lemon.

"...Explored each other’s bodies. Laid together. Yes. He made it seem like a good idea at the time." Something akin to embarrassment spread on her face now, "It's difficult for those like us, as you might imagine. We may be regarded as normally sized where you're from, but here we're not exactly in abundance. Especially since it's only after Loki's birth that attitudes towards us have really changed." She shook her head slightly, "but that's a whole other story. Point is, we didn't know when else we'd get a chance to have that kind of experience with. So in the end we went for it."

She shrugged, glancing back to Sigyn who was staring at her, slightly wide-eyed. A small smirk passed Angrboda's lips. "He's not for me, but he is good at what he does. I'll give him that, although don’t expect me to admit it to his face. So, if you ever want a go at him..." Angrboda allowed her words to trail off, lips tipping up and gaze tilted towards Sigyn once more with amusement as she left the room. "Go for it. You'll enjoy it."

"Wait, I never said I wanted to-" Sigyn called out, but Angrboda had already closed behind her, probably for the exact purpose of avoiding the conclusion to that conversation. Sigyn threw herself onto the bed, burying her face into the furs and blankets with a frustrated huff, her cheeks flaming. Well. That was more than she had expected to learn about both Angrboda and the youngest prince that night. Possibly a little more than she'd wished to as well. She pushed herself up from the bed, pulling off her boots and regretting it as the cold nipped at her toes. She pulled her legs up, throwing the fur coverings over her legs. She should get changed for bed she knew, she had brought a nightdress…but there was no way she could bare stripping down to change into it. She crawled right into the middle of the bed, burying herself under the luxurious furs and curling into a tight ball.

Sleep proved to be elusive, Sigyn tossing and turning late into the night. Even underneath all of the blankets she could still feel the cold seeping in, even worse in the cold and dark than it had been during the day. The wind could be heard whistling around the building and Sigyn’s eyes squeezed tighter shut in an attempt to will herself into unconsciousness. She didn’t think she was succeeding, but must have been more asleep than she thought, as she was roused by a strange glow entering under her eyelids. She frowned at the sensation, her face scrunching up in displeasure before her eyes blinked slowly open, to try and locate the source of the light.

She blinked blearily, and then panicked, as her eyes finally made out the shape of a person in her room, the light being cast across their body eerily. Then, just as she was about to scream or shout at the sight of such an intruder, her eyes finally adjusted to the light, and it was familiar features that she was able to pick out. Only just familiar, but familiar all the same. She leaned forward slightly, propping herself up on one elbow.

"Loki...?" She tried to mumble, peering towards the strange, illuminated figure. If it was, he had somehow reverted to how he had appeared outside, with tangled hair, tied off with red thread and barely clothed. But who else could it be, familiar face and height only just greater than hers. Besides, his lips spread into a tentative smile at the sound of his name, and he moved forward, coming to kneel beside the bed. The light followed him, and Sigyn abruptly realised that it was emanating from his palm. Or, more specifically from the dancing blue flame that hovered above his palm.

“It should help to warm you up,” he said in a low voice, _pushing_ the flame towards her. Sigyn flinched away slightly, but he made a low shushing noise, and the warmth suddenly reached her, delicious against her cheeks and frozen fingers as she pushed them slowly towards the flame from under the covers. Her eyes pulled away from the flame to find Loki’s face again, more cast in shadows now that the flame had come closer to her. Her mouth opened, ready to say something, to ask why, or how, but Loki made the same low sound again, and waved a hand over her face.

“Sweet dreams,” was the last thing Sigyn managed to hear, before Loki’s form wavered and disappeared, and she was left sinking into a deep sleep, truly warm and content for the first time since setting foot on the frozen realm.


	3. An Unexpected Detour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki takes Sigyn on an adventure.

Chapter 3

 

Sigyn awoke cosy and refreshed the next morning, stretching indulgently under the furs and blankets of her bed. She was pleased they had finally become warm during the night, not allowing the freezing temperatures of the realm rob her of any sleep at all. Then, she suddenly remembered the events of the night and her eyes flew open, and she shoved the covers aside in order to sit up. There, dancing before her eyes, was a ball of flame.

Just...hovering there.

Mid-air.

Keeping her warm, and apparently not melting the ice.

And if the flame was there, it meant that Loki must have been in her room too, and Sigyn decided it was way too early to be thinking about the implications of such an event. She slipped out of bed quietly, and the flame bobbed after her, as though it were some kind of eager pet rather than an enchanted source of heat and light. It emitted enough heat that she finally felt comfortable enough to peel off the tunic and leggings from the day before and select something fresh from her luggage. Since she wasn’t travelling she decided on the more dress-like tunic she had packed, although she still wore leggings and boots beneath, along with her fur cloak. She was just tidying her things when there was a knock at the door, and Angrboda pushed it open, poking her head around the door.

“You’re already up?” the Jotun woman asked, surprised. “And dressed? You’re more organised than all of the princes.” she rolled her eyes, stepping fully into the room and closing the door behind her. Then her eyes fell on the flame, and she gave a start. “What in the Nine Realms is that supposed to be?” she asked bemusedly, stepping forward and reaching out to touch it, before drawing back her fingers in discomfort. “It’s _warm_ ,” she commented, voice part fascination and part suspicion.

“Of...course it is...?” Sigyn replies curiously, taking in the still blank look on Angrboda’s face. “Don’t you have fire here? At all?”

“Is that what it’s called?” Angrboda asked, answering Sigyn’s question indirectly as she peered at the flame again. “Is this something you have on Asgard?”

“On Vanaheim and other reams too,” Sigyn told her, finding it more than a little surreal that she was even having this conversation. It was such a basic assumption to make, she thought, to think every realm would have fire. “...Although it’s not often blue on other realms. Usually oranges and yellows, unless it is really hot. Hotter than this is.” She paused, before adding, “They don’t normally float either.”

“Whoever made this clearly didn’t know what they were doing then,” Angrboda commented, watching the flame in amusement as it flinched away from her fingers, making its way closer to Sigyn. Sigyn stifled a laugh at the sudden thought of Loki, chasing after whatever snatches of information he’d heard about flames and trying to conjure something to match. It was impressive magic, especially if fire was rare enough to the Jotuns that Angrboda hadn’t even heard of it before.

“We need to go,” Angrboda said suddenly, bringing them both back to the present, “I came to collect you for breakfast with the royal family.”

Sigyn nodded her assent, and the two women left her chambers, Angrboda leading her back down to the hall in which they had eaten the day before. Laufey and Fárbauti were already sat at the table, both rising to greet her and making Sigyn feel incredibly small in the process. The princes took longer, and when they did arrive it was with still-mussed hair, rumpled clothes and yawns. Sigyn rose as the princes approached, but Helblindi waved a hand at her, dismissively, conveying without words that she needn’t bother. He and Býleistr sat down opposite her, and Loki joined her side of the table. Loki offered her a sleepy smile, which drew wider as he noticed the flame that had followed her all the way down to the hall and was hovering just beside her ear.

“Oh yes,” Sigyn whispered to him as she noticed his gaze, “your handiwork, I presume?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Loki said mildly, focusing on his food but not exerting even the slightest effort to hide or disguise his grin. Sigyn faltered at the sight of the food once again, but Loki proved to be her saviour, passing her food more suited to her tastes under the table (where he magicked it from she didn’t know, but it tasted excellent) and pilfered the Jotun food from her plate so her aversion went unnoticed.

More meetings came to follow, and Sigyn spent most of her time in them watching Loki surreptitiously from the corner of her eye. He had been fully awake and alert by the end of breakfast, and had sat dutifully through the first meeting without complaint or incident. But as they dragged through the second meeting...and as they entered into the third, where several Jotun Lords were brought in for specialised information, Sigyn watched as Loki’s lips pressed into a flat line, his fingers tightening in the fabric of his loincloth, bunching and releasing the fabric in a fidgety gesture. Sigyn spared a glance in his parents’ direction, wondering they’d noticed the change in their son, but it was not so. And a part of her was glad. Unprofessional it may be, but she was excited to see what Loki could do to ruffle everyone’s feathers this time.

Lunchtime came, followed by an uproar, as Loki made the movie Sigyn had anticipated; once again slipped the protective grasp of his parents and guard, vanishing from sight and leaving Laufey frustrated beyond expression. Sigyn had a mildly inappropriate moment wondering if the real reason the king had no hair was because he’d pulled it all out from the stress of looking after Loki for so many years and still not being able to keep him in once place. The confusion resulted in the postponement of meetings once again, and Sigyn quietly excused herself. She planned to head back to her rooms, she had a feeling hanging around would only get her stepped on by one of the other Jotuns. She momentarily considered trying to find Angrboda, but realised she had no clue where to even look for the girl. In her disappointment, she didn't even notice as arm that snuck out as she walked past the off shooting passageway, grabbing her and dragging her into the shadows. A cold hand wound its way around her mouth, silencing the surprised scream that tried to slide its way out.

"Be quiet, would you? I'd rather not be caught here." Sigyn stilled at the sound of the voice, craning her neck back to look up into Loki's face, a hesitant smile on it. "Now," he continued softly, "will you promise not to scream if I let go?"

Sigyn nodded; it was all she could do, but Loki seemed satisfied and released his chilly grip on her.

"You," was the first thing she managed to say after gulping in a few surprised breaths of air, and Loki rolled his eyes and flicked her nose gently.

"Me," he agreed. "I got bored. They should make sitting through diplomatic meetings a punishment for crime. I think it would be most effective, and possibly so much as half crime-rates overnight. Want to run away with me?" He asked, and his hand was around Sigyn's, causing her heart to flop over. Before she could answer however, his grip had tightened, and she was being pulled further into the shadows. "No, it's not really a wanting thing for you," Loki sad, almost to himself. "You're not boring. Meetings are. I like you, so I'm going to keep you but skip the meetings," his smile was bright again, "sounds fair, right?" And suddenly, without warning, two more steps had been taken and Sigyn found herself outside.

She gasped in a mouthful of snowflakes, stumbling as her booted feet plunged into deep drifts, almost making her tumble over. Loki's laughter rang in her ears, and she could feel his arms around her, keeping her upright. “You’re a precious thing, aren’t you?” Loki’s voice floated over her head, warm and teasing. Sigyn’s cheeks heated in response, but her reply was snatched away by the winds, as Loki released her in order to bound on ahead, leaving her to almost fall face-first once again. Even as she felt the thrill of excitement and disobedience at what they were doing, the ambassador in Sigyn still had a strong voice, and she made one last effort to talk to Loki sensibly, even as she chased after him.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? Won't the King be worried about you again? What if- wh....wait, why are you undressing?" Sigyn had been looking back towards the palace as they ran, and it was only when she almost tripped over a long strip of fabric, and would have face-planted into the snow were it not for the strong blue hand that gripped around her arm, pulling her upwards once again. Loki's gaze was intent on her face, and Sigyn felt captivated by his eyes. There was a kind of exhilaration there that she hadn't seen whilst they'd been inside the Palace. She realised now the difference it made to Loki, being outside. It went beyond mischief, beyond teasing his parents with his absences. Loki _needed_ the outdoors like he needed food, like he needed air. She could see it in him now, the buzzing in his body and the excitement on his face.

"You honestly think it's easy to move around in all that stuff?" He finally replied, still studying her face in fascination. He'd always seemed fascinated (and fascinating) within the palace walls but out here, everything was amplified. "I can barely climb through the snow, let alone up trees and mountainsides with it on," he told her, sliding off the gold vambraces next, dropping them at their feet before he took off again, through the snow like it was nothing to him. Sigyn watched him go, a pang of irritation forming as she pictured her own struggle through Jotunheim's terrain. She looked down at the clothes, wondering if she should gather them up, but deciding against it. She had enough trouble without looting a probably insane Jotun prince's clothing around with her too.

…Wait, what? She shouldn't be following him, she should be heading back to the Palace, telling Laufey where Loki had gone, and…and…was that Loki waiting for her in the distance? Yes it was, he was waving at her. Well. It was probably best she went with him, really. She had to make sure he didn't do anything too stupid, and, and…it was in the interest of protecting their diplomatic chances for her to follow him. Sigyn wondered, as she began to trudge through the snow in earnest, whether she should be worried that she was allowing herself to be convinced by that kind of reasoning.

Sigyn made a valiant effort trekking through the snow, but it still wasn’t long before she felt the dragging effect on her legs, slowing her down and stealing her breath in short puffs. “Loki,” she called out, to the prince who was still bounding on ahead. “Loki! I need- need you to- could you just slow down a moment?!” she eventually yelled in frustration. She half didn’t expect him to even be able to hear her, but the next she knew he was back by her side, arms wrapped around her protectively.

“Not to worry,” he told her soothingly, and she let out a cry as he hoisted her up into his arms, staggering a little under the weight of all her furs. There was amusement in his eyes and his words were half-laughter, “I know a place where you and your small mountain of clothing can rest.”

"The King is going to be angry with both of us now," Sigyn commented, lying back against the cave wall. Despite her words she was smiling, and was not particularly concerned. Especially now that she was in a sheltered, snow free area, and a new blue fire had been conjured before her, deliciously warm against the bare skin of her face. The flame that had been following her had jumped at the sight of the flames, literally, and had launched itself right into the heart of the blaze. Loki still denied any involvement, but the smile was still there. The prince himself was sitting beside Sigyn, apparently unbothered by the heat of the flames, idly braiding strands of black hair, and looking far less tightly wound than he had in the palace.

Sigyn felt a little guilty having seen Laufey's panic before, but she had seen now that Loki could keep himself safe, and would always bring himself back. Loki, resting beside her, chuckled.

"Mother is used to it by now. He won't blame you anyway. I'll tell him I dragged you along." Loki assured her, but Sigyn's relief was distracted from by yet another unexpected revelation.

"Wait, mother? _King Laufey_ is your _mother_?" She asked, flabbergasted once again. Loki turned to look at her, eyebrow raised and a bemused smile on his face.

"That surprises you?" He asked, clearly amused. _Well, yes_ , was her honest response. Between Laufey and Fárbauti, although both male, it was the latter with his decorated hair, long, elegantly cut robes and slender features that had seemed the more likely to be a mother. Then, Sigyn abruptly realised she was trying to use Asgard's rigid gender roles as a basis for comparison and she grimaced. Shame on her. Loki didn't seem too bothered by her mistake, however.

"Yes, Laufey bore all three of us. It's part of why he's so respected, able to be such a good King even whilst carrying and raising the three of us. It must have been a lot of work." He mused.

"You seem to be doing your best to keep his workload high," Sigyn let slip before she could help herself. Loki did pause at that, his eyes wide as he pondered. He turned his head to look at her, and this time his smile was a tad painful.

“Yes, I suppose I do,” he admitted, and Sigyn’s heart gave a pang at the tone of his voice.

“Have you tried talking to him about it?” she asked gently, and Loki pulled his legs up to his chest, arms resting on his knees as he leant forward, halfway towards a curled position. “I mean, maybe he- he might let you out more, if you told him where you were going? What you planned on doing? Maybe if you took someone with you…” Sigyn trailed off helplessly as Loki gave an unimpressed snort.

“But that’s just it,” he muttered, “I don’t want to be _escorted_ , or to have to _discuss_ these things. I just want to be able to go outside, and for them to trust that I can take care of myself. Just because I’m...” he gestured angrily to himself, then waved a hand at Sigyn for comparison, “because I’m small, a runt, doesn’t mean I can’t take care of myself. I already know so much more than they ever will,” his tone suddenly turned fervent, and he abruptly twisted so he was leant in towards Sigyn, their noses almost touching. Sigyn’s heart thumped loudly in her chest and she jumped at his proximity. There was coolness radiating from his skin, and it contrasted deliciously with the warmth from the fire. “For example,” he murmured, and Sigyn tried to control the shiver that went up her spine, “did you know that there are paths, secret walkways that lie along the branches of the Great Tree, and link the worlds together? Greater and infinitely more ancient than Asgard’s Bifrost.” His eyes were shining, and Sigyn swore she could see the stars reflected in them. There was something faraway about that look, and she wondered what Loki had seen along those pathways.

“Between all of the Realms?” she echoed. “Have you...does that mean you’ve visited the other Realms before, even with Jotunheim so cut off?”

Loki nodded, clearly thrilled by his own achievements. “Those are the times I stray from home the longest. There is too much to see, and some of the pathways are too far and long to be accomplished in a single day or night.” Guilt flickered in his eyes again, “I...do try to be sparing with those trips. I know they worry mother. I think father may suspect some of what I do, but he is...” Loki paused, seeming to struggle for a word to describe his sire. Sigyn thought she could understand that. Even from the short time she’d known him, she’d found Fárbauti to be inscrutable at the best of times, eerily knowledgeable at others, although he never conveyed it in so many words, but in looks and gestures instead. Loki gave up on finding his word, and Sigyn laughed her understanding.

“Is it not difficult to hide yourself, on other Realms?” she asked, curious, “even if you are closer to the sizes of Æsir and Vanir, you are still very...distinctive.” With his vibrant blue skin and bold markings. Sigyn was growing to love them, and love tracing the subtleties and differences in the markings of all the Jotuns she met. They wore their markings proudly, and took no offence to her looking. Loki looked delighted by her question, and Sigyn suddenly wondered if he’d been waiting for her to ask it.

“I have ways and means,” he said grandly, as though that was a real answer and Sigyn would somehow understand it. Loki noticed her unimpressed face, and smiled sheepishly. “Well. Let’s just say it’s easier to disguise yourself than you think. Besides, there’s so much variation between all the realms that have frequent interactions, that so long as you walk around like you belong, people won’t even notice you’re different.” he paused, and then scooted closer to Sigyn, peering intently into her eyes.

"Just for example, you... you're not actually Æsir, are you?" He asked curiously. Sigyn looked at him in surprise.

"No," she confirmed, "I'm not. How did you know that?"

He shrugged, "I know of your mother. Freyja. She's a great master of seidr." He lowered his eyes delicately, and Sigyn was struck with amusement at the sudden and unexpected delicacy of the movement. "I admire her and her work. I hope to one day control my own magic as well as she controls hers."

Sigyn could picture it. Loki, standing in the middle of an icy plane, hair a dark cloud whipping about his face, arms extended with palms to the air as golden light and blue fire danced around his body. “Yes,” Sigyn said thoughtfully. “I’m certain you will be incredible.” A grin snuck onto her face as she looked at the fire, and she turned to Loki, “Maybe one day you’ll even be able to make fire the right colour,” she teased, and laughed at the spluttering look of indignation on Loki’s face.

They began their trekking again after a time, leaving the calm of the cave to battle with the winds and snow once again. Sigyn was thrilled to find they’d calmed at least a little, and she was no longer struggling with every footstep. She had no idea where they were headed, she’d become completely turned around on the way to the cave in the first place, but Loki assured her that he was headed back to the Palace.

They had gone a far way, if Loki’s assurances that they were almost there were any indication, when a figure appeared out of the snow, heading towards them. The figure seemed familiar to Sigyn, and the reason why became apparent quickly as Angrboda stepped through the snow towards them, small statured and weighed down with what Sigyn realised were Loki’s discarded clothes. Loki let out a sigh at the sight of his female counterpart, giving her a grin and a lazy waggle of his fingers.

"Ahh, the bringer of all grief in my life, the lovely Angrboda. Is mother planning to murder me yet?" Loki asked cheerfully, and Sigyn choked on her surprised giggles. Angrboda glared at him.

" _King Laufey_ is planning to bundle you up in robes and lock you in your room for safekeeping. _I'm_ planning your murder." She told him flatly, and the look in her eyes made Sigyn worry for the safety of the third prince and over the validity of her words. Loki however was unconcerned, laughing again and moving forward to hook his arm through Angrboda’s and drag her closer towards Sigyn. For all her grumbling and glares Angrboda did not attempt to unhook their arms, something that made Sigyn smile. “I had to drag all your clothes with me,” the female Jotun muttered irritably, dumping them at Loki’s feet, and giving him a pointed look. Loki sighed, but acquiesced, sliding bangles and anklets back onto his arms, before moving onto the larger items, the cloak-like clothe that swung from shoulder to shoulder, held in place by clasps that resembled armour.

“I can see why you don’t keep it on for running around,” she commented and Angrboda, who had been assisting him with the clasps, shot her a filthy look.

“Don’t encourage him,” she muttered darkly. “I’m the one who has to chase after him whenever he runs off.” She turned her look on Loki, who grinned back.

“As though I need any encouragement,” he told her, planting a kiss on the tip of her nose before dashing back to Sigyn, laughing over the top of Angrboda’s outraged shriek. “Now now, before you murder me, I’m going to let you head back ahead of me,” Loki declared quickly. Sigyn looked at him in surprise.

“Really?” She asked, confused, “Why? Don’t you want to go back together?” Didn’t he want anyone to know that they’d been spending time together? Or...

Angrboda strode towards her, placing a decorated hand on Sigyn’s fur-covered shoulder, and ignoring the way Loki danced away from her as she approached, “It’s fine,” the not-so-giant giantess assured her, “He’s being thoughtful.” she glanced to Loki, “You wish for us to say we spent the time looking for you, but were unsuccessful, correct?” she asked, and Loki nodded, grinning.

“It’s only fair I don’t get the lovely ambassador in trouble. Or the far-from-lovely servant either, I suppose,” he tagged on as an afterthought. Sigyn expected Angrboda to take offense, but strangely enough Angrboda seemed unbothered, merely rolling her eyes in response.

“Business as usual then,” she shrugged, before beginning to lead Sigyn towards the Palace. Sigyn glanced back towards Loki as Angrboda guided her, and he gave her a wave. She was suddenly feeling somewhat caught up in events that were slightly out of control, neither Jotun giving her much of a chance to interject any questions or suggestions of her own. Loki’s face, when her eyes found it, was reassuring however.

“I’ll see you soon,” he called, and she gave a tentative smile in return, attempting to reassure herself and trust that the two diminutive Jotuns knew what they were doing.

It really did seem to be business as usual, as the two women arrived back, and were immediately confronted by Laufey. Without letting Sigyn speak, Angrboda immediately began a tired sounding speech about how Loki was nowhere to be found as per usual, not even any clothing. Sigyn learnt that apparently she’d been searching for Loki too, and Angrboda had found her just before the weather turned back, and they had taken shelter for her sake before returning to the palace. By the end of it Sigyn was glad that it was Angrboda telling the story, as the look on Laufey’s face would have destroyed any lies in her head before she was able to utter them. He seemed to buy it from Angrboda however, her face a perfect mask.

Sigyn expected Loki to appear at any second, but she supposed after the first couple of hours that the greater the distance between her and Angrboda getting back and him getting back, the less suspicious it would look. So by the time he finally did turn up, looking dishevelled but fully dressed, Sigyn was genuinely surprised by his entrance. Although surprise at his turning up was nothing compared to watching Laufey fly across the room to crouch down in front of his son, smoothing back Loki’s hair, and giving him a worried once-over for injuries of any kind. This out of everything was what made Sigyn falter when it came to Loki. He was fun, adventurous, witty, and wonderful to her. But the way he treated Laufey was difficult for Sigyn to accept. After travelling out with him into the wild, she could see how much he needed it. But surely there was a way to go about it without driving Laufey closer to an ever-nearer grave by worrying him sick each time?

Sigyn didn’t know if it was possible to find a middle ground, but she promised herself she would push the subject with Loki later.

Later.

If there even was a later. Because it was at that exact moment that Sigyn remembered that this was her final day in Jotunheim, and that the next morning she would be taken back to Asgard.


	4. A Midnight Visit Mark 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Sigyn talk away their last night together, and the night ends with something neither of them saw coming.

Chapter 4

The knowledge that it was her last night on the frozen world hit Sigyn in a way that she had never expected it to. She hadn’t expected to have any fun here. She’d expected to sit through meetings, perhaps to be constantly dealing with intimidation and tensions, and certainly to loath every minute of the cold weather.

She'd never been more wrong. Well, not about the weather, that was as truly hideous as she had expected it to be, but everything else had been so different. Laufey and Fárbauti had been kind, and genuinely so. They had been understanding and easy to compromise with in discussions, open to suggestions and negotiation. The culture nothing like Asgard portrayed it to be, as Sigyn pictured the royal family in their robes, those with roles inclined towards the intellectual with their flowing hair and embroidered robes, the more militaristic King and Prince in sculpted armour with their hair cut back to reveal the full extent of their markings.

And at the centre of all of it, Loki. Loki with his bizarre mix of all elements, so often swamped in robes but accentuated with armour, his hair a wild cloud as he chased through the snow and rocks, chasing after something Sigyn couldn't name. Loki who, even after all of the comfort and kindness everyone else had shown her, was the one to make him feel the most at home.

Sigyn was sat in the centre of her massive bed, the furs pulled up around her shoulders as she watched the door carefully. Loki had visited the night before, she was certain. She dared to hope he might appear again, although as time continued to tick on, and her eyelids grew heavy, she began to lose that hope, although she kept her eyes trained on the door.

"Oh," came Loki's voice, making her jump about a foot in the air despite its soft tone, as he simply appeared at the edge of her bed, head cocked as he looked at her. "I expected you to be asleep already."

"Isn't it pretty creepy of you to want to visit me whilst I was sleeping?" Sigyn retorted, vaguely triumphant and a little lightheaded about Loki being there, standing beside her bed like it was the most natural thing in the world. She tried to ignore her heart, which was protesting fast and furiously about Loki's habits of appearing out of nowhere. Loki shrugged, and laughed.

"Good point, well made," he praised her, climbing onto the bed to sit beside her, one leg curled underneath him and the other dangling from the side of the bed. It did not look comfortable, but then again Loki was a fan of all kinds of strange things. This was, on the scale, one of the more normal things, Sigyn noted. “You’re still dressed,” Loki pointed out.

“Well noticed,” Sigyn laughed dryly, and Loki grinned, before cupping his hands together, eyes flickering shut…and a new flame, this one emerald green danced to life in his palms. This time Sigyn’s laughter was delighted, as the flame leapt from Loki’s fingers, and danced its way through the air across the Sigyn. “Thank you!” she giggled, watching it act once again more like a pet than a flame. She shot Loki a judging look, “Although, I distinctly remember telling you what colour these are supposed to be, and green was not a colour I mentioned.”

“So? They should be green. They look good in green,” Loki grinned and poked at the flame, akin to how Angrboda had inspected the blue one. “Are you going to change now?” he asked, turning back to Sigyn, and she flushed.

“Only if you keep looking in this direction and promise not to turn around,” she ordered him, a warning tone in her voice. Loki held up his hands in a gesture of surrender, and Sigyn watched him as closely as she could whilst also changing into her night things in record speed. Climbing back onto the bed after she’d finished; Loki smiled faintly at her, although it faltered a little, the corners of his lips drooping into a frown.

“So…” Loki began, kicking his foot back and forth, “You’re leaving tomorrow?”

“Yes,” Sigyn confirmed, suddenly more emotional than she’d anticipated. “First thing, I believe. I need to report all the details of the meetings back to the Allfather.”

“Ah yes, the mighty Allfather Odin…wielder of both brute strength _and_ seidr.” Loki looked genuinely impressed at the mention of the Æsir king, “And then what for you? Back to Vanaheim, or is your home in Asgard right now?”

“To Asgard,” Sigyn replied without hesitation. “There will be more work to do with regards to building relationships with Jotunheim, long after I have given my report to the Allfather. Perhaps I will have a few days to myself before work begins again, but there are a great many things to be done. Her heart fluttered in hope a little. “Perhaps, next time, you and your parents could come to Asgard for negotiations? Or the Allfather will send me back to Jotunheim for further discussions?”

Loki’s lips flickered. “I shall pray for the second,” he mused, “Because I do not know whether my parents would wish to take me to Asgard, when I would run and hide all the same but where it would be far worse if they could not find me. Can you imagine mother trying to engage in discussions with the Allfather whilst knowing I was running wild in the Golden Realm?”

“About that,” Sigyn said sternly, “You need to do something about how much you worry King Laufey. I know it’s important to you to be able to go outside,” she added hurriedly as Loki opened his mouth, “but you don’t _see_ Laufey when you’re gone. It’s fine for you to joke about him being unable to focus whilst you’re gone, but you don’t seem to realise what you’re saying. Because he really would not be able to focus, he would be too worried for you. I just - there must be another way for you to have freedom and not drive him to such worry?” she finished, looking down at her hands in her lap. She hadn’t meant to rant. It was their last time together and she didn’t want to ruin it or give Loki cause to run away from her or hate her just before she left.

But she looked up as Loki heaved a sigh, and discovered him staring down at his own lap, face filled with regret.

"I know. I do know, really, I just-" he sighed again, running a hand through his tangles in frustration. He looked at Sigyn with determined eyes. "I will try. Try harder. For you, because your advice has not failed me yet." He reached out to grip her hand, and Sigyn smiled gratefully.

"Thank you," she said, and really meant it. Loki returned the grin, leaning in closer to Sigyn. Her heart rate, which had lowered itself since Loki's initial appearance now shot up again. He was peering at her face, as though trying to decide something. Just as Sigyn's lips had parted, ready to ask, he spoke.

"Did you know I can shape shift?" He told her, abruptly, and leant forward even further, as though eager for her response.

"I- no, of course I didn't. You never told me before," Sigyn's tone was full of confusion and surprise, and then suddenly things made sense in her mind. “Is that how you manage to visit other worlds without being noticed?” she asked, excitedly. What an incredible ability. To go anywhere, to be anyone or anything…she paused however. Loki could have told her his real capabilities back in the cave, when it had been far more relevant to the conversation than it was now. "Why are you bringing it up in any ca-" her words died on her lips as without warning, Loki changed before her eyes. The lines scored across his skin faced first and, like a ripple on the surface of water, the blue was vanishing from his skin, leaving creamy white in its wake. He was paler than she was, Sigyn realised distantly. Pale like he'd never seen the sun. The change was complete, and Loki's eyes, which had fallen closed, now opened, and Sigyn sucked in a breath at the sight of green, green eyes. The green of grass and stems and leaves that could never survive on Jotunheim.

Loki was looking at her eagerly, filled with anticipation about something she clearly had not been informed about the coming of. "Well?" He asked, breath coming out in a fog in a way it had never done before, "what do you think?" She hesitated a moment more, and he grabbed her hand impatiently, pressing it to his skin. Warm. He was _warm_ beneath her fingers. "If we had met like this," he asked her softly, and she could feel the vibration of his words against her palm, making her shiver, "if I had been pale, if I had been Æsir, if I had been _Vanir_ …what would you have done?"

“I…I don’t know…” Sigyn mumbled, her cheeks flushed red as Loki leant forward, and before she could say another word, question what he was doing, there were suddenly warm lips on hers, gently prodding, seeking a response. She almost pulled away, but her hand was still on Loki’s cheek, and she found herself drawing him closer, Loki’s other hand coming up to rest on her cheek. Even pale and warm as he was now, she could still feel the red of her cheek burning into his palm, the heat flaring even more as she felt his thumb and fingers stroking reverently across her cheek.

Her lips parted in surprise at the unexpected gesture, and Loki sucked in a breath as his own were made to follow the movement, and suddenly, abruptly, the fingers and lips pressed against her were turning cold, as though someone had suddenly doused them with cold water. She barely felt the spread of ridges beneath her fingers and across Loki’s cheeks before suddenly the prince was pulling back, far and fast enough that he almost fell off the bed and –

– he was gone.

Sigyn’s eyes were wide, the last image of Loki before he had vanished burned onto her eyes. He was…gone? How could he be gone? Why? Had she not have opened her mouth? It hadn’t been on purpose, she hadn’t meant to make him uncomfortable…perhaps Loki was simply playing a trick. Or he’d been called away somehow? Sigyn resettled herself in the bed anxiously, turning her gaze back to the same spot once again when she was comfortable. Loki would come back, she was sure of it. Any moment, he would reappear.

Loki never came back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't kill me, but feel free to review and say how much you'd like to kill me.


	5. Home is Where the Heart Is

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sigyn returns to Asgard and Loki, for the first time in his life, gives an explanation.

Sigyn had barely slept when, the next morning, Angrboda once again appeared to help her dress. Angrboda raised her eyebrows at the bags under Sigyn's eyes, and her rumpled appearance but said nothing. Sigyn thought she probably suspected Loki was to blame, but more because Angrboda's default seemed to be to blame Loki. Sigyn tried to distract herself from thinking of the jotun price, from both his blue, ridged face and his pale, green-eyed visage. Neither were images she wanted in her mind, as regardless of anything else, it was always the same expression of shock, Loki backing away from her that she recalled.

It made an intense mixture of anger and confusion that coiled in her stomach in response, and the combination was a little sickening. Especially since, on her shoulder, the green flame still danced. She spoke very little to Angrboda, and the jotun respected the silence, helping her wordlessly before guiding her down to breakfast. Both the King and Queen and their sons were already present at breakfast this time, having risen early in order to see Sigyn off before her return to Asgard. There was, however, one Prince missing.

“Oh...” Sigyn murmured quietly, a little stung by the conspicuous absence. “Is Prince Loki missing again?” she spoke louder, attracting the attention of the King and Consort. Laufey’s less-than pleased expression told her all she needed to know, especially coupled with the slightly disapproving look on Fárbauti’s features.

“He wasn’t in his bed this morning. We apologise _deeply_ for his rudeness, Ambassador.” Farbauti said darkly, and Sigyn didn’t know whether to feel bad for Loki as she heard to promise of punishment seeping through Farbauti’s tone, or to feel vindicated. She was leaning somewhat decisively towards the latter. Breakfast was a swift affair, and all four present members of the royal family walked with her to the designated Bifrost site. Angrboda tagged along behind them, half-hiding behind an amused Byleistr. She darted forward, however, as they reached the site, and Sigyn had a few moments to spare whilst her luggage was taken to the site before she was.

“Don’t worry. I’ll smack him on your behalf when he turns up,” Angrboda muttered darkly, and Sigyn laughed despite herself, not needing any further clues to know just who Angrboda meant. The Jotun woman darted out a hand, pressing it against Sigyn’s arm in a comforting gesture, squeezing lightly.

“No, it’s fine. You don’t have to do that for me,” Sigyn assured the blue-skinned girl, although she was touched at the offer, even if she didn’t think Angrboda really needed the excuse. Angrboda rolled her eyes and pulled Sigyn into a quick, impulsive hug.

“Come visit Jotunheim again soon, ok?” she said quietly. Sigyn nodded.

“And maybe you can visit my realm one day!” she offered in exchange, but Angrboda pulled a pained face.

“If you can figure out how to help me survive the heat, then maybe one day,” she laughed dryly, before it dissolved into real amusement, Sigyn’s voice joining hers until they heard Laufey clear his throat, and Angrboda backed away, head bowed respectfully.

“I apologise for Loki’s absence,” he told her, “I know you were growing close. I expected him to be here.” Sigyn turned red at the word ‘close’, remembering all too well the night before, and the feeling of cool lips on hers. Laufey studied her consideringly, and Sigyn’s face grew hotter. “...once we find him, I’ll make sure he writes a letter for you.” Laufey said finally, pulling back. “We thank you for joining us for these talks. Jotunheim will welcome you back whenever you wish to return,” he said finally, tone changing as he switched to the official wording that concluded their business. Sigyn bowed to him deeply, before straightening.

“We thank Jotunheim for this opportunity, and...and I hope too that I will be able to return soon. Thank you.” She turned to look out over the ridge, preparing herself. Then, after a flickering moment of thought, she guided the green flame into her hands, clutching it closely to her chest to protect it from any effect the Bifrost might have. Then, she called out to the sky, “Heimdall! Open the bifrost!” Then all she knew was blinding light, and solid gold floor beneath her feet. She looked up to see the gatekeeper standing above her, drawing his sword out of its slot before moving back to his position guarding the entrance.

“It is good to see you back, my Lady,” was all he said to her, giving no indication that he knew of anything that had happened. Sigyn didn’t buy that for a second. They’d let her go to Jotunheim alone. Of course Heimdall would have been watching every second of her travels. “The Allfather wishes to see you at your earliest convenience,” Heimdal intoned, and Sigyn sighed. ‘earliest convenience’ roughly translated to ‘you have as long as it takes to walk at a brisk pace from the Bifrost to the Throne Room’.

“Thank you, Heimdall,” Sigyn ducked a bow at the Gatekeeper, “I shall make my way there now.” She walked swiftly, leaving her bags behind. Servants would take those to her rooms quickly enough, she had an appointment with the king she couldn’t miss. Reaching the Throne Room in reasonable time, Sigyn was told she could go straight in. She was struck, suddenly, by the sheer size of the hall. It seemed ridiculous, considering she had spent the last three days in a realm of giants, but it was really true. The Asgard throne room was every bit as large as Laufey’s. It made strange and unexpected hope swell in her heart. Maybe peace with the Jotuns wasn’t such a strange idea. Maybe, in some small ways, it had always been the intention.

She approached the throne, seeing Odin sat upon it, Gugnir in hand. Sigyn sunk down into a low bow, right down onto her knee, fist pressed across her heart. “Allfather,” she greeted formally, keeping her head bowed.

“Sigyn,” the Allfather greeted her, and his lips were almost a smile as he leaned forward. The look in his eyes was eager, and Sigyn wondered just what news it was he hoped she’d deliver.

"They...” Sigyn began, and was flooded with a thousand memories of her time. She could not pick out a single thing that would weigh against the Jotuns, and she pushed aside her personal upset with Loki, right to the back of her mind, as she gave her verdict to Odin. “They are a good people," Sigyn said firmly, meeting Odin's gaze firmly, and leaving no room for interpretation. "Not the monsters children are told about, or the savages our books and stories describe." Her lips curved into a grin at the thought of their king, so feared and reviled in Asgard, fussing over Loki and being beyond distraction whenever his most fragile child went missing.

Missing. Just like he’d been when she’d had to return. Her smile faltered at that. Loki had known she was leaving, she was certain of that. They’d spoken about it just the night before. why hadn’t he been there to say goodbye to her? She found it stung more than she had expected, and she wondered if she had overestimated Loki’s interests. If she’d been seeing things that weren’t there. But he’d taken her on that trip...he’d sought her out in the gardens before she even knew who he was...the flame he’d given her to keep her warm. The kiss. Surely it had meant something to him as well?

“...You are distracted, Sigyn,” Odin said after a few minutes had elapsed, and his tone was gentle. He had shown no obvious or outwards reaction to her views on the Jotuns, but there was a warm curve to his lips, and his eye was filled with what could almost be relief.

Sigyn brought herself back to the present, embarrassed.

“I’m sorry, my Lord. It was a very busy three days.” she looked down at her feet, not wanting anything in her expression to give her away. She could feel Odin’s gaze resting on her for a long while, pondering, trying to deduce her thoughts and feelings from her body language. Eventually he let out a low humming noise, and she relaxed.

“Yes, it must have been a tiring experience. Retire to your chambers, take a day for yourself. We can discuss the next course of action after that,” he finally intoned, tapping Gungnir against the floor to mark his final decision. Sigyn bowed gratefully, before hastening away to her rooms.

She had aimed for her rooms at least, but in the end Sigyn found herself wandering in the gardens. She had taken a few moments to discard the now-sweltering winter clothing in her room, and donned the lightest of her dresses before she found herself drawn to the plants and trees she had a wonderful view of from her windows. Everything looked minature now, she realised in faint amusement, even once she’d left her room and was walking along the paths which mapped out the garden. Only three days and she’d already become so used to trees which stretched to the skies, and flowers taller than her.

In a strange, warm parody of her first day, she came to sat beneath a tall tree, the tallest she could find. Although this one didn’t have nearly such a neat array of branches, or a mischievous prince lurking in its branches.

"Wow, everything is really different here. Much more green and gold! And everything the right size!"

 _Hang on a_...Sigyn's head spun around so fast and far she was fairly certain she'd given herself whiplash, but in that moment she didn't care. Loki's words echoed in her mind from the night before, _"If we had met like this...if I had been pale...what would you have done?"_ Sigyn wondered if Loki remembered his words, but then shook her head, berating her own silliness. Loki remembered every word he'd ever said. And even though she thought he was a fool for doing things this way, and would gladly shake him for upsetting her so much that morning, she couldn't stop her face from breaking into a wide grin, as emerald eyes glinted down at her from amidst the leaves. A tall figure slid down from the branches, to land on bent knees before her.

“...Laufey is going to be _furious_ with you,” Sigyn told him, a little blankly even as she grinned, and tried to process what she was seeing. Loki was here. In Asgard. Looking like he belonged here, with pale skin and hair restrained in a long braid down his back...he’d ever procured or magicked himself a set of clothing; black leather and gold jewellery that echoed his formal clothes from Jotunheim.

He straightened up before her, looking both infuriatingly and endearingly happy about the situation, “Don’t you worry about me,” he told her, looking exhilarated and alive as he moved close to her, his green eyes shining brightly and making it a little hard for Sigyn to breath, “Angrboda will be far worse to deal with than my mother,” he told her with a grimace, and Sigyn couldn’t help but notice the way his hands rose, and found their way around her upper arms, the thumbs rubbing slow circles into the skin there.

“I could believe that,” she returned weakly, although her gaze didn’t falter from his eyes. Loki seemed inexplicably pleased by this, and Sigyn felt one of the hands slide down the length of her arm until their fingers found each other and wound together, Sigyn’s grip every bit as tight as Loki’s.

"I didn't want you to go," he told her softly, his eyes for the first time showing a hint of stress, of upset at the thought. "Three days wasn't enough, it could never have been enough...I would have found ways to keep you on Jotunheim..." ( _and Sigyn just knew that was no idle threat_ ) "but you were so cold and miserable, even with the flame I created for you. So, I did the next best thing," the grin returned at full blast, "and followed you back.”

"You're just so good at compromising," Sigyn said dryly, although she still felt giddy. Loki had run away from Jotunheim, and secreted himself into Asgard. Just for her. Despite the heat, and the trouble he'd be in if he was caught by absolutely anyone, he had done it. Just for her.

"That I am. Oh, speaking of the flame..." Loki reached out a finger, and the ball of fire flew to him immediately, resting on his finger. A whispered word, and it was suddenly transformed to the shape of a bird. It was no longer just green, but a flurry of other colours danced across its wings and crested head. long, curling tongues of flame curling down like a tail. It spread its wings, fluttering up into the air, and came back to land on Sigyn’s shoulder with delicate feet. “I saw some birds like that on the way here,” he grinned, obviously proud with his work. Or perhaps more proud of the look he had caused to bloom on Sigyn’s face.

“I'll go back before mother starts an interealm incident over my being here, so don't worry about that. And i really will try to stop worrying him so much. But before I start, I think I can get away with a couple of days at least," Loki estimated, before taking a step back to look Sigyn up and down. “You look good like this you know,” Loki told her, referring to her dress, “Although lovely on Jotunheim too, you always looked so uncomfortable. Always red in the nose and so weighed down with your cloaks and furs I thought you might fall over.”

“Did you come here just to insult me?” Sigyn asked, with no real pressure behind her voice. It didn’t help that his description was entirely accurate. Loki gave a laugh and, for the first time, Sigyn suddenly thought she heard nervousness creeping into his tone.

“No, actually,” he admitted, and yes, that was sheepishness, “That just seemed to be an unfortunate byproduct. I actually came to ask if I could kiss you again.”

There was silence. Then, hurriedly, “Because, you know, last night was - briefer, than I would have liked, and-"

"You were the one who ran away," Sigyn reminded him, reproachful as she finally found her opportunity to release her frustrations upon Loki for abandoning her without explanation. Her glare was clearly having an effect, as Loki turned red (a strange sight to see when she was expecting to see dark blue in his cheeks) and let out a huff of air.

"I turned back," he said, looking away. "I...didn't plan to do that. I didn't think you'd want to kiss a jotun." He looked back to her, missing the flabbergasted expression on her face. "But, I can hold it for longer now! Especially in this kind of heat. So," the grin was back, but the red had not vanished, which was oddly endearing, "want to try it again?"

Sigyn paused to stare at him for a moment, lips parted. Then, finally, in a small voice she replied.

"Yes," she said quietly, "I would like that very much."

Loki's grin widened and he leaned in, only for Sigyn to press a finger to his lips. He looked at her in confusion, taking in her determined look, and the redness of her cheeks.

"I want to kiss you," she reiterated, "but only..." Her blush deepened, "only if you look like yourself." Her voice was determined and firm. "There's only one person I want to kiss," her little determined frown broke into a smile, "and that's the crazy prince of Jotunheim who has a habit of running around with his hair in a tangle and stressing his mother. Who takes ambassadors on chases through the snow and teases her during meetings. The one who can shapeshift, but will always, always look best as himself." Her finger moved away, her hand coming to cup his cheek gently. "Do you think you can show me that person?" She asked quietly.

Loki was speechless for a moment, before a slow smile spread across his face. A gentle, loving smile that made Sigyn's heart flutter.

It was even more beautiful in blue, she decided, as pale skin slowly flushed dark, and it was lips with faint ridges across them which slowly descended to hers. It was cool, and soft, and everything the night before had been. Except this time, she knew it was hers to keep, and to have as many times as she wished. It was only after a few minutes that they were able to pull away from each other, Sigyn dizzy and content as she gazed up at red eyes and a line-scored face.

"You..." She mumbled, finding herself unable to speak any further and lacking even the energy to make it sound accusing. Loki laughed, pulling her into a tight hug.

" _Yours_ ," he corrected softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh, so here it is, the end. Thank you so much to everyone who read it, and thank you for all the kudos and bookmarks and comments. They mean the world to me. ^^
> 
> I hope you've all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment and tell me what you think. (:


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